This non-profit scholarship foundation was founded by four young volunteers who were eager to help their peers during rough times. All four founders are current medical students who have entered the healthcare workforce and realized the unfortunate burden medical bills place on families; specifically, college students. In addition, they have witnessed firsthand the healthcare disparities that disadvantaged communities face while volunteering at free student-run clinics.

RYAN MCWHIRTER

Ryan is a UC Davis graduate with a degree in Biological Sciences. Ryan has been playing baseball since the age of 3 years old and continued playing competitively until stopping after his freshman year at UC Davis. He worked as a clinical research coordinator in GI Oncology at University of California, San Francisco for over three years. In his workplace, he saw many people who are burdened financially by the high costs of medical care and he is looking forward to helping students who are impacted by these expenses. Ryan received his Master's in Biomedical Sciences at Tufts University School of Medicine in Boston, MA in 2017, and is currently at Albany Medical College, M.D. Candidate 2021.

MARIAM FAZEL

Mariam graduated from UC Davis with a B.S. in Neurobiology, Physiology, and Behavior. During her years as an undergraduate, she was an active volunteer at the UC Davis student run clinic, Shifa. Meanwhile, she also worked as a clinical research associate at a breast cancer prevention trial within the Internal Medicine Dept at UCDMC. After graduating, she gained experience in autism research at UC Davis prior to completing the San Francisco State Post-Baccalaureate Program. She worked as a clinical research coordinator for asthma research at UCSF for over two years, and she is currently at UC Davis School of Medicine, M.D. Candidate 2019.

SHARVINA ZIYEH

Sharvina received her BS in Neurobiology, Physiology, and Behavior (NPB) from UC Davis. She then completed a two year Post-Baccalaureate Program at San Francisco State University. She worked as a clinical research coordinator within the GI Oncology department at UCSF for two years. Through her interactions with patients at UCSF, she realized the hardships these individuals and their family members endure while on treatment. Her experiences working with the underserved in free health care clinics and at UCSF prompted her to matriculate into medical school in the fall of 2014. She is currently at Saint Louis University School of Medicine, M.D. Candidate 2018.

TIGLATH ZIYEH

Tiglath graduated from UC Davis with a B.S. in Psychology with an emphasis in Biology. Throughout college, he helped his fellow students by serving as a pre-medical peer advisor and math/science tutor. In addition, he volunteered at a pain management clinic and the UCDMC pediatric emergency room. Tiglath became passionate about helping the underserved while volunteering at the Joan Viteri Memorial Clinic, a UCD student-run clinic. He worked as a clinical research assistant at Stanford University, focusing on pediatric cystic fibrosis research. Tiglath received his Master's in Medical Sciences at Boston University School of Medicine in 2016, completing his thesis through his clinical research in newborn medicine at Beth Israel in Boston, MA. He is currently at Albany Medical College, M.D. Candidate 2020.